Delaware (Statewide) RBA
March 5, 2010
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 22:10:42 -0500
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From: Andy Ednie <ednieap@verizon.net>
Subject: [BIRDEAST] RBA: Birdline Delaware, March 5th, 2010
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RBA
* Delaware
* Statewide
* March 5, 2010
* DEST1003.05
*Birds mentioned
Snow Goose
Cackling Goose
Egyptian Goose
Tundra Swan
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Green-winged Teal
Eurasian Green-winged Teal
Gadwall
Northern Shoveler
American Wigeon
Eurasian Wigeon
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Horned Grebe
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
American Kestrel
American Oystercatcher
Dunlin
American Woodcock
Bonaparte's Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Eastern Screech Owl
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Brown Creeper
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
Loggerhead Shrike
American Pipit
Pine Warbler
American Tree Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Snow Bunting
Lapland Longspur
Hotline: Birdline Delaware
Date: March 5, 2010
Number: 302-658-2747
To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE)
Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap@verizon.net)
Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern
New Jersey, Maryland
Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap@verizon.net)
For Friday, March 5th, this is Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of
Natural History in Greenville. The 2010 Unofficial Delaware State Year List
now stands at 162 species.
Today, a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was reported along Bennett's Pier Rd by Chris
Bennett (no relation). That bird was seen at the edge of the marsh, west of
the ditch before reaching the Delaware Bay. The bird was seen hunting in the
scrub pines on the south side of the road. The bird was originally
identified as a NORTHERN SHRIKE but later confirmed as a LOGGERHEAD as the
bird approached the road. This is the second report of LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE in
Delaware in three years. A dozen TUNDRA SWANS were also seen in a field
along Bennett's Pier Road.
Bennett's Pier is near Milford, just south of Bower's Beach. To reach this
location, turn east onto Thompsonville Road off US 113 north of Milford. At
the South Bower's Fire Station, bear right onto Bennett Pier.
The Spring Thaw is underway! Skeins of SNOW GEESE were seen flying over I-95
at Churchman's Marsh this morning. WOOD DUCKS were seen in several locations
in the state this week, including the Port Mahon impoundments of Little
Creek Wildlife Area, Dragon Run in Delaware City, the Rt 100 ponds at
Winterthur Museum, and in downtown Wilmington, at the Russell Peterson
Wildlife Refuge.
A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was seen found this week at the North Pond in the
Logan Tract off the Kitts Hummock Rd. Look through the large raft of
AMERICAN WIGEON to find this bird. Other species seen there included WOOD
DUCK, RING-NECKED DUCK, LESSER SCAUP, RUDDY DUCK, AMERICAN COOT, and all
three MERGANSERS, COMMON, HOODED, and RED-BREASTED. 5 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were
also present.
A SNOW BUNTING has been present along Cartanza Road, north of Little Creek.
2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS were by Boondocks off Lighthouse Rd. near Smyrna.
AMERICAN PIPITS continue be seen in a number of areas also. A PINE WARBLER
was reported coming to a feeder in Wyoming, Delaware. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK
was seen in a warehouse in downtown Dover. AMERICAN BITTERN was seen along
the Port Mahon Road. Several large rafts of RUDDY DUCKS were reported in
Delaware Bay at Audubon Inlet.
A drake "Eurasian" GREEN-WINGED TEAL was seen at Prime Hook NWR off
Broadkill Beach Rd. this week. That bird was in the field on the left before
the marsh. TUNDRA SWANS and SNOW GEESE were seen in several locations. A
CACKLING GOOSE was at Fowler's Beach and 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were
seen off Sugar Hill and Draper Rd. at Prime Hook. 4 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS
were reported at Mispillion Inlet this week.
In northern Delaware, 3 EGYPTIAN GEESE were found on the University of
Delaware Ag Farm between South College (Rt 896) and Chapel Hill (Rt 72) Rd.
These birds were seen from the north end of Ag Hall.
Several feeders reported SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS this week. A pair has returned
to the pine woods at Ashland Nature Center were they have nested the last
two years. Also at Ashland were HERMIT THRUSH and SWAMP SPARROW. An AMERICAN
WOODCOCK was found at Burrow's Run Nature Preserve.
Besides the WOOD DUCKS at the Rt. 100 ponds, there were also a dozen HOODED
MERGANSERS, a drake AMERICAN WIGEON, COOT, and RING-NECKED DUCKS. The
feeders at Brandywine Creek State Park still have AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS.
PILEATED WOODPECKER and EASTERN BLUEBIRD were also reported. 3 adult BALD
EAGLES were seen together at the intersection of Rt 82 and Rt 52 last
weekend.
There has been a flurry of hawk reports in downtown Wilmington, including
the pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS on the Brandywine Building. Those birds even
made a guest appearance on Channel 6 Action News. A light phase ROUGH-LEGGED
HAWK was seen over Canby Park, which also reported PEREGRINE, RED-TAIL, 2
AMERICAN KESTRELS and 2 BALD EAGLES. The Russell Peterson Wildlife Center
also had COMMON MERGANSER and KILLDEER this week.
RING-NECKED DUCK, GREEN-WINGED TEAL, GADWALL, and NORTHERN SHOVELER were
seen at Dragon Run in Delaware City. 6 MUTE SWANS were seen on the Delaware
River during the heron census on Tuesday. The only herons reported were 30
GREAT BLUES going to Pea Patch Island, but COMMON MERGANSER, BALD EAGLE, and
a MERLIN were also seen. The BALD EAGLE nest off the Reedy Point Bridge
continues to have adults incubating eggs there. A WOODCOCK was also heard
calling at Pine Valley Farms near Port Penn this week.
3 CANVASBACKS were seen on the Delaware at Woodland Beach. COMMON and HOODED
MERGANSERS were seen at Taylor's Gut and BUFFLEHEAD and SHOVELER were seen
at Tony Florio's. WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS continue to be seen at the Bombay
Hook NWR visitor center feeders. A HORNED GREBE was seen at the refuge this
week, along with DUNLIN, TUNDRA SWAN, AMERICAN COOT and RUDDY DUCK. AMERICAN
PIPITS were seen at Bear Swamp. An EASTERN SCREECH OWL was at Shearness
Pool.
At Bay Vista in Rehoboth Beach, the previously reported RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCHES continues to be seen, now joined by a pair of BROWN-HEADED
NUTHATCHES. EASTERN BLUEBIRDS are seen at nest boxes there. YELLOW-BELLIED
SAPSUCKER was also reported. KILLDEER was seen along Bald Eagle Creek there,
along with BUFFLEHEAD, RED-BREASTED MERGANSER and RUDDY DUCK. GOLDEN-CROWNED
KINGLET, BROWN CREEPER, and SAVANNAH SPARROWS were also reported.
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES were also reported in Seaford this week.
And now for this week's special feature from WILM News Radio:
It may be cold outside, but the days are getting longer and the first signs
of Spring Migration are upon us. Waterfowl are staging along the Delaware
Bay for their flight to northern breeding grounds. One species to look for
during this time of year is the HORNED GREBE.
Grebes are diving marsh birds, related to loons. They have long thin bodies
with short pointed bills. We see HORNED GREBES usually in their winter
plumage; with black body and white neck, and big white cheek marks. In
spring, they molt into their alternate breeding plumage, velvety black with
golden ear crests that they erect for courtship. They congregate into large
rafts at the head of Rehoboth Bay, where you hear their eerie call (SFx
Horned Grebe).
In migration, you can see HORNED GREBES on any large body of water, creeks
or ponds, like Hoopes' Reservoir. You might even see their smaller western
cousin, the EARED GREBE, with smaller ear tuffs. In Great Britain, the
HORNED GREBE is called the SLAVONIAN GREBE, an exotic name for our common
bird.
Once common, HORNED GREBE numbers are dwindling. A winter oil spill on the
Chesapeake Bay in 1976 killed 20,000 birds, mostly HORNED GREBES and
OLDSQUAW. Their population never recovered. Protection of these staging
areas is vitally important. Rosalie Edge, founder of Hawk Mountain said,
"The time to protect a species is when it is still common".
Special thanks this week to a host of observers: Brian McCaffery, Bill
Stewart, Kim Steininger, Derek Stoner, Joe Sebastiani, Rick Cheicant, Chris
Bennett, Colin Campbell, Bob Strahorn, Mike Smith, Meta Little, Lynn Smith,
Jim White, Charles Vaughn, and Jay Young. You can report your sightings or
add to the Delaware Year List by calling 302-792-9591 or email
ednieap@verizon.net. Thanks for calling and until next time, good birding!
-end transcript
Andy Ednie
Claymont, Delaware
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